A NASA telescope discovered a giant ring composed of dust and ice particles all around Saturn. The closest part is about 6 million kilometers away from the planet and it is extended up to a distance of 12 million. Febe, one of the most distant moons of Saturn orbs within that ring and, according to the NASA it could be the source of material that composes it as a consequence of the impact of the comets in its surface. Saturn´s new ring is very wide and its high is about twenty times bigger than the diameter of the planet. Up to now, the biggest ring of this planet, and also the biggest ring of the solar system, was called “E”, (because Saturn´s rings are named in alphabetical order depending on the order they were discovered) and it rounds the planet from a distance of 240.000 kilometers.
One of the peculiarities of the ring recently discovered is that it counts with an inclination of 27 degrees respect to the plane in which the rest of the rings are represented, something that leaded the scientists to think that the origin may be related with Febe, the moon that is also leaned round Saturn.
The new ring circulates in the same direction as Febe, while Jápeto (another moon) as most of the moons and rings makes it the opposite way.
Despite his enormous size, the ring is almost undetectable even with telescopes of visible light, and that is why it took so long to discover it. The reason is that the particles that compose it are very separated, with enormous distance in between. This ring has nothing to do with all the traditional rings around Saturn. It’s composed by loose material from Febe, its not a normal satellite but a comet captured by Saturn, which means that up to some point it is normal the existence of these loosen material from this object. Unlike the traditional rings, this ring is almost invisible.
It is true that the E ring of Saturn is also composed by loose material, but we don’t have to forget that we are talking about a moon originally formed into the Saturn´s system, while Febe is not.
The spaceship Cassini noticed the ring and other very strange characteristics when the sun was right behind the planet, the phenomenon is known as occultation and it gives the rings a brilliant illumination.
Saturn´s new ring is very wide and its high is about twenty times bigger than the diameter of the planet. Up to now, the biggest ring of this planet, and also the biggest ring of the solar system, was called “E”, (because Saturn´s rings are named in alphabetical order depending on the order they were discovered) and it rounds the planet from a distance of 240.000 kilometers.
One of the peculiarities of the ring recently discovered is that it counts with an inclination of 27 degrees respect to the plane in which the rest of the rings are represented, something that leaded the scientists to think that the origin may be related with Febe, the moon that is also leaned round Saturn.
The new ring circulates in the same direction as Febe, while Jápeto (another moon) as most of the moons and rings makes it the opposite way.
Despite his enormous size, the ring is almost undetectable even with telescopes of visible light, and that is why it took so long to discover it. The reason is that the particles that compose it are very separated, with enormous distance in between.
This ring has nothing to do with all the traditional rings around Saturn. It’s composed by loose material from Febe, its not a normal satellite but a comet captured by Saturn, which means that up to some point it is normal the existence of these loosen material from this object. Unlike the traditional rings, this ring is almost invisible.
It is true that the E ring of Saturn is also composed by loose material, but we don’t have to forget that we are talking about a moon originally formed into the Saturn´s system, while Febe is not.
The spaceship Cassini noticed the ring and other very strange characteristics when the sun was right behind the planet, the phenomenon is known as occultation and it gives the rings a brilliant illumination.